When Metal is Weakened
by Gothic Butterfly
Summary: Sometimes even the strongest metals are weakened and require care. Winry and Ed, rated for later chapters.


A/N This fan fiction does not really follow the story line of the Fullmetal Alchemist series.

DISCLAIMER: Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me, nor do the characters used in this fan fiction. They belong to Arakawa Hiromu.

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It was his fault. Al was in danger again because of him. All he had to do was kill one person, one person and his brother would be here right now instead of gods knows where. It was entirely his fault, he knew it, and could not let it go. For days he reviewed maps of the land, trying to decipher where they might have taken him. Who knew what kind of danger Al was in or how he was being treated by the sins that had captured him. Somehow they had pieced together that killing someone was the one thing he could not, would not do to save his brother. No matter how much he wanted to protect his sibling, his body would freeze and his mind would go blank. Some protective older brother he was.

Ed sat in the state alchemist library, looking at maps, researching, reading, doing anything to try and figure out where they had hidden Al. He was so distraught he had not slept or eaten for over a week, and no matter what people said to him, he would not rest. He had to keep going, it was all he could do after all, and it was he that let the sins take Al. This was his penance for being weak.

Mustang walked into the room and immediately his gaze settled on the unkempt form of the "Fullmetal" alchemist slumped over a large volume lying on the table. It hurt him to see one of his favorite state alchemists suffering so much, but he already had all the men under him looking round the clock for any sign of the armored form of the younger Elric brother. Pausing in his brisk walk, he schooled his features to what he hoped was his normal emotionless mask and cool eyes. Proceeding towards the table and rumpled form, he cleared his throat and tried for what seemed like the hundredth time since the incident to force Edward into taking a break or at least eating something.

"Still hunting I see," he stated in an attempt to gain Ed's attention.

"Go away, I'm really not in the mood," Ed growled out, not even lifting his gaze from the pages.

"It doesn't matter if your in the mood for me or not, Edward. But are you in the mood for the sick bay, or even the hospital? Because that's where you're going to end up if you don't knock of this childish display of yours."

"Childish display," Ed ground out, finally lifting his eyes from the table. "Is that what you think I'm doing here? Trying to make people feel sorry for me? Huh? Well I have news for you!" he shouted.

Mustang recoiled at the strong reaction, trying not to let his surprise show on his face. This was the first time that Ed had done more than mutter a rude "go away" to him since the incident.

Jerking up from his chair quick enough to topple it onto the floor, Ed continued to rant at Mustang while gesturing angrily.

"It's my fault that those homunculus got away. It's my fault that Al isn't here right now and safe behind the walls of this building. How to you expect me to act? Just carry on as if nothing happened? Well I'm not as black hearted as you, I haven't killed gods know how many people, and I can't just brush off my brother like he's nothing. So who the hell are you to come in here, and accuse me of being a child when I'm trying so damn hard to find him?" He took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "You make me sick," and with that Ed turned and bent to pick his chair up off the floor. Instead of righting the chair, he wavered and collapsed into a heap.

"Somebody get the doctor!" cried Mustang as he tried to intercept Ed's meeting with the floor. He was too late, but carefully rolled the young alchemist over onto his back and checked to make sure he was still breathing. In doing this he noticed that Ed's skin felt overly warm to the touch and his usually muscular frame felt too thin. The boy was not as strong as his "Fullmetal" name claimed, for the only thing that was solid as that mineral was his determination and willpower. Which was too strong and the reason for Ed's weakened and ravaged body.

Hawkeye rushed into the room not long after Mustang had rolled the young alchemists body over and was quickly followed by the state alchemists best physician. Shooting Mustang a worried look, she knelt beside him on the floor and asked what happened, her eyes tracking the movements of the doctor as he inspected his new charge.

"I came in to try to talk him into taking a break or at least eating something, and made the mistake of calling him childish," he sighed. "He just blew up on me, and told me I made him sick, and then when he bent to pick up his chair, he just collapsed on the floor." Shaking his head he continued, "Scared the hell out of me. I swear my heart skipped a beat." Glancing at Hawkeye's profile to see her reaction to the news, he was not very surprised to see a worried expression on her face. He knew she cared for Ed as if he were her younger brother or even a son, but never saw it as blatantly as he did now.

The sound of a throat clearing caught both Mustang and Hawkeye's attention and they turned to face the physician as he began to speak. "I'm afraid he's not in very good condition right now, but that can be quickly rectified. Lots of fluids, nutrition and bed rest along with relaxing for a while ought to do it. I'm surprised that he lasted as long as he did. This boy has an amazing will power. He should have lost consciousness within a few days," shaking his head the doctor muttered under his breath, "Kids these days."

Mustang was relieved to hear that Ed's condition was not as bad as he feared, and quickly stood and began to order a few men about. "Fashion a stretcher and help the doctor get Ed to the infirmary."

Seeing a few people gather around Ed's body to lift him, Mustang turned to Hawkeye. "Will you keep an eye on him and make sure he does okay?"

With a questioning look in her eyes she nodded her head. "Yes, but I thought you would want to take care of this."

"I do, and I'm going to, but I need to make a phone call. The doctor said rest, relaxation and good food, and I think I know just the right town," he said with a slight grin. Turning on his heal, he walked out of the library and headed towards his office, not seeing Hawkeye's reaction to his smile.

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Wiping her greasy hands an old rag, Winry breezed through the house to answer the ringing phone.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mrs. Winry Rockbell?" asked a familiar deep voice.

"Yes…Mustang is that you?"

"Yeah, I'm afraid I have some bad news…"

Winry's heart leapt into her throat. _Edward_ she thought, _something's happened to Edward_…

"What happened to Ed??? Is he alright? Let me talk to him!" she yelled into the phone as she panicked; her mind racing through all the possibilities of what could have happened to Ed.

"Calm down, it's alright, Edwards okay. He worked himself into collapsing trying to find Al. The doctor said he needed rest, relaxation and good food so I thought, who better to take care of him than Winry? After all, you do have a way with him."

Blushing slightly at the tone of his voice as he spoke the last sentence, she muttered into the phone, "Yeah, I guess I do…"

"Well," he started again. "Now that we have that settled, would you prefer to come pick him up or have Armstrong escort him to your house?"

"I am kind of busy right now, so if you can have Armstrong bring Ed that would be great. I'll meet him at the train station. Just tell me when he will be arriving."

"He will be on the six o'clock train so he should arrive there sometime late tomorrow." Mustang's usually relaxed voice tightened, "Just so you won't be alarmed when you see Ed, he is in pretty bad shape. He hasn't eaten or slept since Al was kidnapped. Also, the doctor required that he be sedated for a few days…so his body can rest."

"Will he be alright?" Winry asked, tears begin to leak from her eyes.

Mustang sighed, "Yes," he stated. "He just needs someone he loves to be strong and dependable for him until he can recover."

"Alright," she muttered, trying to hide the fact that she was crying as she swiped her arm over her eyes. "I'll be waiting," she whispered.

Gently hanging up the phone, Winry took a deep breath to steady herself and sought out Gramps to tell her the news.

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Winry stood on the platform of the train station, watching as the train slowed for its approach. _That's his train_, she told herself. _Calm down, he's almost here, and then you can take care of him. You won't have to worry so much for a while_, she mentally sighed. _Remember, you have to be strong!_ She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and concentrated on clearing all her frightened thoughts from her head. When she succeeded, she opened her eyes to see that the train had advanced and was almost to the platform.

Glancing around her, she was happy to note that few people were at the station this late at night. Only a few people, most of them staff. Hearing the high pitched squeal of the trains' breaks, she turned her attention back to the train, and the large man stepping off of it backwards. In front of him was a wheel chair that showed a head with familiar long blonde hair slumped to one side. Winry swallowed hard at how limp the young alchemists form looked, and steeled herself so that she would not cry.

Armstrong finally lifted the wheel chair free of the train and gently set it on the ground. Turning to gather the bags that the conductor handed down to him, Winry slowly walked towards the chair, carefully studying the form sitting within it. His usually tan skin seemed paler and he had dark circles around his eyes. The little facial hair he had, had grown to where it was visible as a shadow of slightly darker blonde. His cheekbones stood out more on his face, and he seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight.

Crouching in front of him, she reached out and gently brushed his soft bangs off of his forehead, noting that his temperature was slightly raised. Her hand seemed to have a mind of its own as it lightly caressed his check and felt the contrast between the warm silkiness of his forehead and the rasp of the stubble on his cheek. Hearing a throat clear, she looked up guiltily to see Armstrong watching her with a grin on his face.

"Seems Mustang was right in sending Ed here, the hospital doesn't have any nurses that will care for him half as well as you will," he told her with a warm voice.

Blushing a brighter red, she stood and offered to take one of the bags. When he shook his head, she looked puzzled.

"I'll carry the bags, if you'll push the chair. Just let me set it on the road real quick." He informed her with another smile.

"Alright, are you sure I can't carry one?"

"No, a lady should never have to carry someone else's bags."

Winry just smiled and nodded as Armstrong piled the bags by the steps leading to the road and gently picked up the wheelchair. After he set it on the road, Winry grasped the handles and began to push while Armstrong re-gathered the bags. Smiling lightly at the thought of how Ed would react to her pushing him if he were conscious, Winry began a light conversation that carried on all the way to the house.

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They had settled Ed in a room next to Winry's bedroom, so if he woke in the night, she would hear him. She stood in his room, leaning against the doorway, watching his chest rise and fall. His slow rhythmic breathing had a calming effect on her and she smiled at the peaceful expression on Ed's face. _That's something you rarely see_, she thought to herself. _Normally he's troubled in one way or another, and not the least bit peaceful._

Ed had grown several inches in the last few years, making him three or four inches taller than her now. Remembering this, she walked towards the bed to check the length of his Auto-Mail arm against his flesh one. Noticing a slight difference in length, she also noted quite a bit of wear and tear on the arm. Including a few gashes that, from the look of them, he had buffed out in an effort to make them less noticeable. This only made her more suspicious of what he'd been doing on assignments. She then proceeded to lift the covers at the end of the bed to check his leg. Here, there was also evidence of slight growth, and a little less damage, so she made a mental note to adjust his Auto-Mail and fix the damage.

She carefully tucked the covers back into the end of the bed and settled herself into the chair at his side. Worry still nagged at her enough that she knew sleep was unlikely, and she found she preferred to keep her eyes on him. She rarely got a chance to study him without him noticing, and she wasn't quite used to the changes his body had gone through yet. His once almost stocky, muscular build had changed as he grew taller. He was now boasting a very attractive muscular structure that was sleeker but no less powerful than before. Along with the growth came a less noticeable change, facial hair. Granted most of the time he kept himself neat enough that you wouldn't know, but it had surprised her when she had visited him and saw him unshaved in the early morning.

Smiling she remembered how embarrassed he had been at her wide eyed reaction. He'd snapped at her, stomped into the bathroom, and wouldn't look her in the eye for most of the day. It had also put him into a foul mood, and he had been short tempered with everyone he came across. This hadn't seemed to affect Al much, as he'd found it amusing to the point that he was snickering through out the whole day.

Reaching across the bed, Winry felt his forehead again and was pleased to note that it did not feel as warm as before. Armstrong had given her a pouch full of medications along with a sloppily written note of instructions, times and doses, along with the description of each medication. Ed was to remain sedated until late tomorrow. She liked being able to watch him without worry, but at the same time, did not care to see him look so helpless. He had grown so much, from the child that had left their small town into the young man, almost 18 that she saw before her.

Winry slid her hand down to caress his stubbled cheek with the back of her fingers. The scrape of his whiskers against her sensitive flesh sent shivers down her spine, but she couldn't help her fascination with the sensation. When her fingers took on a red tint, she stopped her actions and settled back in her chair with a notepad and began to sketch possible modifications for several designs of automail.

Several hours later, Winry woke to a soft noise. Straightening from her slump in the chair, she tried to discern Ed's form in the dark room. As her eyes adjusted, she noticed frown lines had appeared between his eyes and he seemed to be having a nightmare. Rising from her seat, she sat on the edge of the bed and began to softly speak while caressing his hair and face.

"Shh…Ed, it's okay. I'm here; you don't have to worry anymore. I'm going to take care of you…"

He seemed to calm a little at her voice and after a few minutes the frown lines disappeared from his face as it turned into her caresses. Smiling, she carefully crawled to his other side, into the space between his body and the wall the mattress was set against. Lying beside him, she began to caress the side of his face closer to her and grinned as his head tilted towards her again. _He's almost like a cat, leaning into my caress_. Winry brushed his silky bangs from his forehead a few times, running the strands through her fingers, before moving them aside to press her lips to his forehead.

Settling herself closer to his side, she weaved her fingers through his warm hand and laid her head down beside his on the pillow. Listening to his slow even breathing, she was once again lulled into sleep.

Later that morning, Winry work to the sound of Grams loudly praising Armstrong for a deed well done. Yawning and stretching at the same time, she realized that sometime in the night she had wrapped her arms around Ed. Blushing at the thought of being caught in such a position, she hurriedly rose from the bed and left to shower and dress for the day.

Thirty minutes later found her downstairs, wet hair hanging down to her waist in waves and her usual uniform of a powder blue mechanics outfit. She left it zipped to the top, for it was still slightly chilly from the night and she needed the added warmth. Smiling at Gramps and Armstrong she said good morning.

"Good morning to you too, Winry. Did you sleep alright?" Armstrong asked with a slight twinkle in his eye.

Winry turned to stare at him and noticed a mirrored twinkle in Grams eye. Noticing her granddaughters' embarrassment, Grams explained.

"We decided to check in on Ed this morning and saw you sleeping beside him. It was an adorable sight if I do say so myself," she said with a smirk as she handled her pipe.

"Oh yes," added Armstrong. "I thought it was quite romantic."

Winry blushed at this and caused the two of them to break into laughter. "Alright, alright," she muttered. "So I missed him, and couldn't resist the chance to sleep next to him like we did when we were kids. Can you really blame me? I haven't seen him in a while, and I was worried."

Grams just patted her on the back, "Yes dear, we know. But this young man and I couldn't resist a good tease."

Winry smiled at them and began to fix herself breakfast, mentally listing what she needed to accomplish for the day and when she needed to give Ed his medications. After she finished her food and rinsed her plate, she went upstairs to check on Ed one more time before gathering her sketches and heading to her worktable.

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Hours flew by as she sat at her desk, leaning over a part for a new customer. Her hands new the work so well that she was pleased to note she could assemble most of the pieces while her mind was else ware. Right now it was thinking of Ed, and what his reaction would be tomorrow when he was off the sedatives and woke up. He would likely scream and shout and try to leave, and she silently suspected that this possibility was what kept Armstrong here. For as strong as she was, and she was no weakling, Armstrong was probably needed if Edward decided to try and leave.

Chewing on her bottom lip, she began to think of methods to keep him calm and convince him to stay for a little while. Mustang had assured her that all of his men were keeping and eye out for Al's armored form, and right now, that was all they could do.

Glancing at the grandfather clock in the room, she noted it was almost time to give Ed another dose of medication, and stood to wash her hands. For now she would concentrate on her work, and figure out how to deal with Ed when he awoke.

To be continued…


End file.
